El Paso's Tequila Collective Summit blooms at Plaza Hotel March 22-24

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Droves of tequila connoisseurs will descend on El Paso's Plaza Hotel Friday through Sunday for the Tequila Collective Summit, a weekend-long celebration of all things agave spirits.

The Tequila Collective Summit, set to take place March 22 to March 24 at downtown El Paso's Plaza Hotel, brings together industry leaders Rob Gerard and Lalo Gonzalez for a weekend of tastings, pairings and activites, against the backdrop of North America's largest agave selection.

"The Plaza was nice enough to reach out to me, and they have the largest agave selection in North America; I believe it's 800 brands, or so," said Gerard, Tequila Collective founder. "It's really cool that an establishment like The Plaza -- which is a beautiful hotel -- is so committed to agave spirits and really a great selection of tequila, which is awesome to see, and I hope it continues. I hope they're a leader in terms of converting other hotels, bars and restaurants into great agave selections."

Friday night will focus on a cocktail and dinner pairing presented by Gonzalez, master distiller and founder of Lalo Tequila, who will present the history and intention behind the brand.

Originally from Guadalajara, Gonzalez started Lalo Tequila some five years ago in Texas, however, the company's origins can be traced back to his father, who worked as a janitor in a small distillery at the age of 7 and went on to found the iconic tequila brand, Don Julio.

"I decided to create Lalo alongside my childhood friend David, from Guadalajara, and we were committed since the beginning to honor the agave and to create something very special," said Gonzalez.

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Meanwhile, Gerard will lead a tasting on Saturday night featuring five additive-free blanco tequilas alongside a discussion that covers production methods and videos and photos of the distilleries so that guests "feel immersed in what's going on down in Mexico if you've never been to a tequila distillery."

"I started drinking tequila about 10 years ago and the biggest brands around were all the celebrity brands," said Gerard. "But now there's been this emergence and emphasis on more traditional, smaller artisanal brands; brands that are often owned by the people that are actually making them down in Mexico."

According to Gerard, this new wave of tequila -- including those featured during the summit -- is entirely additive-free, which "gives people a good idea of what tequila should taste like."

To purchase tickets, click here. For information on a VIP experience, click here.

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